Downes — Development of Kenosha County. 555 



The town of Pleasant Prairie has a characteristic of its own. 

 In 1850 the percentage of the population bom in Ireland and 

 Great Britain was greater than that of those born in E'ew York 

 and ^ew England, while in 1860 those bom in ISTew York and 

 !N'ew England were greater than those bom in Ireland and Great 

 Britain, and in 1870 they w^ere about equal. The noticeable 

 sinking in the percentages of the Irish and English elements 

 from 19.6^ to 11.1,^ and from 16.8,^ to 10.1^, respectively, dur- 

 ing the first decade makes it very plain that the Irish and Eng- 

 lish elements either settled in the town and then left, or that they 

 settled in what was Pleasant Prairie in 1850, and when the 

 southern part of the to-vvn of Southport was annexed in 1851, 

 the great predominance of the 'Nev7 York and ISTew England ele- 

 ments in the district added, offset the large percentage of Irish 

 and English which existed in Pleasant Prairie in 1850. By 

 examining the actual number of the population born in ISTew 

 York, ISTew England, Ireland, and Great Britain in the town of 

 Pleasant Prairie and Southport in 1850, and in the town of 

 Pleasant Prairie for 1860 and 1870 in Table 1 of the Appendix, 

 the latter statement will be seen to be true. So it is evident 

 that if any of the English and Irish elements emigrated from 

 this town they did not do so in such great numbers as the E'ew 

 York and Xew England elements. The German element in- 

 creased steadily during the period. 



The towns of Bristol, Somers, formerly Pike, Salem, and 

 Eandall, are the ones which show the least thinning out of the 

 'New York and ISTew England population, but the fall in the 

 percentages, however, is greater than it would ordinarily be, 

 providing no emigration of these elements had taken place. 

 In all of these towns there was a small increase in the number 

 of Germans. The town of Randall shows the greatest increase. 

 Erom 1860 to 1870 the German element in this town rose from 

 1.5^ to 13.5,^. The town of Bristol was settled chiefly by the 

 !N'ew York and the New England population. In 1850 the 

 ISTew York element was 39^ and the ISTew England 20.8^, mak- 

 ing together 59.8^ of the total population of the town. From 

 1850 to 1860 there was a slight increase in the number of Irish 

 and from 1860 to 1870 a small increase in the number of Eng- 

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